Splash!
Whitstable Seafront, August 2017
I’m enjoying some much-needed annual leave, which has been lovely with the boys off school and the excellent weather we’ve been having. Today, we headed off to Whitstable for a day at the seaside - arriving early to avoid the madding crowds and finding a parking spot! The boys love going crabbing, so we found a jetty, and they spent a few happy minutes dangling bits of chopped-up fish-stick and bacon on hooks into the sea. Later, as the tide came in, the game switched to diving off the now-submerged end of the jetty, and I was able to capture this photograph.
There is plenty to do in Whitstable - you can explore the beaches and go swimming. A favourite pastime for children is crabbing from the wooden jetties along the seafront. If you are hungry, there are numerous seafood restaurants along the beach and in the town itself - the oysters are worth a try, and there are also great fish & chip shops if you prefer more traditional seaside fare. From Whitstable, there are a couple of great cycling routes - the Viking Coastal Trail is only a few miles away to the east in Reculver, and there is a pleasant bike ride along the coast to reach it. On the other hand, if you would rather head inland, you can take the Crab & Winkle Way, which is 7 miles, to visit Canterbury.
If you want fish and chips with a good dose of sea air, a cold craft beer with your toes in the sea, some delicious oysters, photogenic harbour vistas, antique shops and retro independent stores, or an ice cream with a sunset backdrop, then Whitstable is a great place to visit. The beach is divided into several sections – Whitstable Beach Front, West Beach and Tankerton Beach.
The Whitstable Beach Front is the section nearest to the town and usually the busiest, with day trippers crowding the seafood markets and locals sitting out in front of their brightly coloured beach huts. West Beach tends to be quieter with a slightly more residential feel and extends as far as the nearby village of Seasalter. Tankerton Beach, to the east, is a long sweeping beach that tends to be quieter, with a long and colourful row of beach huts. At low tide, you can go rock-pooling and walk out along The Street, a long sand spit leading you right out into the seabed. It’s a shingle beach, which means less sand getting into annoying places, and the beaches are broken up with very photogenic wooden groynes. If you are driving here, follow the M2 to East Kent and the A299 until you see the signs for the Whitstable turn-off. Parking in Whitstable can be a bit of a nightmare, especially in peak summer tourist season - it is worth arriving early in the morning. The closest large car park to the beach is Gorrell Tank, opposite the harbour, but there are also some on-street options in Tankerton, a 15-minute walk away. The train station in Whitstable is just a short walk from the beach – about 10 minutes, and you have to walk through town to reach the seafront from the station, so look out for Harbour Street on your way - it’s full of local indie shops and delis.
Fujifilm X-Pro 2 with XF 35mm f/1.4 lens, 1/1100 sec, f/5, ISO 200, Lightroom, Color Efex Pro 4, Silver Efex Pro 2
